LOUNGE MOVERS & SHAKERS

President - John Chirio

John - also known as JC - and his wife Carmel have been living at Broadbeach since November 2016 having sold the long-time family home in Wellington Point. John's career was as an electrical and control systems engineer, mostly designing and commissioning new materials handling plants and infrastructure for major mining companies. Over the years he has lived at Mount Isa, Bowen, Port Headland, Perth, Tabubil (Western Highland of New Guinea), and worked at several mine sites in Queensland and NSW. He retired in early 2014 and while Carmel worked on teaching primary school he busied myself fixing up the house and completing his term as President of the Rotary Club of Wellington Point.

Secretary- Gary Ballinger

Gary’s background is in civil and structural engineering and project management which has taken him from working at a geothermal power station in his birth country of New Zealand to a multitude of places across SE Asia and the Middle East. He’s a keen snow skier and marathon runner (30 including Paris, Boston, New York, Ankor Wat, Singapore, Bandung, Qatar and Beirut). More sedate interests are movies, golf, cycling and reading.

Treasurer - Barry Woodberry

Bazza joined the Army as an apprentice motor mechanic at age 16 worked his way up to officer ranks (Major), later becoming a public service technical officer before switching to managing Canungra Military Base’s resources. He finds time for golf, fishing, squash, tennis, darts, bush walking, bike riding, reading, socialising, mechanical repairs as well as repairs and improvements to his Benowa home.He's also a Meanderthal who loves caravaning and camping!

Committee member - Mick Gannaway

​Mick is a Foundation Member and strong advocate of our Lounge. He established and coordinated the fishing group for a couple of years and now coordinates the golf. Mick also enjoys bicycle riding with Team Tortoise, watching sport, golf, cooking, golf, exhibitions, golf, socialising and motor racing - in younger times he was a safety warden at major UK circuits. His background is in printing, real estate and maintenance mechanic.

Committee member - John Twentyman

John, aka Haveachat, quickly got into our activities and has embraced cycling with Team Tortoise and golf Music. He was in a rock band in the 60s (but he can remember that so maybe he wasn’t!) and also enjoysmotor sports, traveling and enjoying life. As a youngster he was employed by Dalgety’s as a wool classer, a brief stint in retail then joining the family business. John, a widower, retired in 2012 and in 2015 decided on a sea change to Surfers Paradise.

Committee member - Steven Lane

Formerly Isle of Wight - now 50 years in Australia - Steven's backgrounds was a pastry chef, duty free industry mainly at airports, consultant, part-owned a few race horses. Battled – and beaten – prostate cancer! Steven - who lives at Broadbeach Waters with wife Lynne and three children - coordinates our Fishing Fools and Darts for Old Farts groups.

Committee member - ​Tony Flew

Tony's working life - he still dabbles - was as a payroll manager, implementation consultant and company director. He was in Rotaract and Apex when younger. He and his wife Juanita live at Robina.

Ian has strong background as a newspaper journalist and editor in Queensland and NSW as well as 19 years as a media and communications officer in Queensland Government departments.

Ian helped establish The Gold Coast Street Library for homeless and disenfranchised people. He was temporarily secretary of the foundation committee set up to establish the Gold Coast's first men's shed. Ian was a member of the Elder Abuse Task Force/Committee on Ageing, and later on the Gold Coast Seniors Regional Roundtable, helping develop the Gold Coast Seniors Action Plan, and was a victim representative for the Youth Justice Conferencing program.

Ian started the process to his bring his vision for the Bloke’s Lounge to reality in early 2012. He has been honoured with Life Membership of the Lounge and was selected as a Queen's Baton Relay carrier for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Previously Ian was involved in Apex, Neighbourhood Watch, Community Youth Support Scheme, Police-Community Liaison Committee, Shire Council Tourism sub-committee and the Australian Inland Fishing Championships. As a "ship's drover", Ian accompanied breeding cattle shipments to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. ​

Life Member - Ian Begaud

Ian Begaud took on the President's role in 2013. Under his reign and with supportive committees, the Lounge has prospered, growing to 85 members before he stepped down. He encouraged varied and interesting guest speakers to address us.

Ian's background was in business, a breeder of Pure Arabian horses, financial planning and real estate (investment properties). He is also a trained remedial therapist and was a professional musician. Ian is well travelled and enjoys reading, gardening and video camera filming and editing. AGEING GRACEFULLY

Foundation secretary - Vince Paino

I put on record my appreciation to the loyalty, dedication and effort by Vince Paino in helping establishing the beaut Lounge of 87 or so men we have today.

We did now know each other before the first public meeting which attracted six people. But Vince fronted up again for the next public meeting – just three people: him, me and Rob Murrells – and the next, again same three people. At our foundation meeting a month or so later – about seven people – Vince had no hesitation in putting his hand up to become secretary, a role he held for some years.

​We got through the first challenging year or so at Broadbeach library, getting the Lounge to a stage where we had enough members to explore meeting formats, suggest activities and direction, seek a different venue – that’s when we started to grow.

Vince has represented the Lounge at various promotional events and activities. He’s also plunged into extra duties: he coordinates walking and barbecues and is our chief roadie, embracing the technology side, exploring bits and bobs to help make our meetings more enjoyable and expanding the scope of what we can do ... mainly because he likes his toys!

- Ian McDougall, Founder

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